Disclaimer: This post WILL contain minor spoilers to both Rogue One and Episode VII: The Force Awakens. If you have not seen either of these movies (and you plan to), then I highly recommend you do that, for I might set unwanted expectations and/or cause you to make inferences in either plot. I also will spoil some of the episodes of past Star War films, so please be aware.

I will admit that I am no movie expert. I will also admit that I am no hyper-genius on the Star Wars films. Hell, I’ve only seen five of the eight films in there entirety (Episodes Two and Five I have not even started and Episode Four I have seen about an hour of spread out scenes). Yet, I will admit that Rogue One is the best I have seen the Star Wars franchise be.

I went to see Rogue One in theaters just yesterday and it really was a great film. The director, writer, and the entire production crew were super daring in making the movie. Think about it, a Star Wars movie without Han or Leah or Luke or even Obi Wan playing a key role is absurd, especially because the movie takes place between the events of Episode III and IV. In fact, all the main characters, and even the minor characters, were completely new. And the fact that I could care for all these characters in one movie whereas it took Lucas about three for each character is well deserving of praise.

No offense to Lucas, though. Without his mind, none of these movies would even exist. However, Disney has greatly expanded on the franchise and has branched out to new skies. The main difference between Lucas and Abrams is that in the newer movies, Abrams and his production crew create characters that I care for. To me, all the characters Lucas and his production crew made are static, with the exceptions of Luke and Anakin. In the newer movies, I care for Rey and Finn and Jyn and everybody else.

I feel like this idea in Star Wars is true throughout all Disney movies. When has there been a movie with Disney stamped to it that hasn’t been emotional in some way? Never, at least when referring to the modern mogul that is Disney. Some may think this is wrong to consistently create movies that all are successful in part to emotional events, however I think it is just a sign of good writing.

The fact is, any great piece of writing, whether in script, novel, or media, needs to reconnect with the audience in some way. And the easiest and most successful way to do this is the way Disney does; through emotional appeal. Not only does Disney do this in all their movies, but they do it to perfection. For example, in Disney and Pixar’s UP, the movie starts with a flashback to an older couple’s youth. The movie goes through a timeline of their life and at the end, the wife dies at an old age. The rest of the movie is about how the old man wants to journey to go to his wife’s dream home.We can all connect to death and many of us can also connect to doing something special because of a loved one. Because of this, we are immediately engaged in the rest of the movie.

The same emotion is in Rogue One, with a plethora of scenes that are moving. Its almost as if it is a melodrama or even Shakespearean tragedy within a sci-fi action flick. It is something that is rarely seen (at least with my limited movie knowledge) and deserves praise. Lucas and his films were a different genre entirely. They were not “Disnified” sci-fi action films. They’re just sci-fi action films and that is liked more by others. I am not one of those others.

Thanks for reading and SERIOUSLY watch Rogue One. It may not be award-winning, but it really is an enjoyable experience that I highly recommend to everyone. Song

To admit my bias, I really hate most, “pop,” music. Some artists, like the Weeknd or Sia, bridge the gap for me, but pop music is the metaphorical mantlepiece of why music in modern society has been far less memorable than that of artists back in the day. If you think about it, who currently topping the charts is a legendary figure to look back on, akin to Michael Jackson or Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley? The list of these legends goes on, but it will not continue to grow if the popular music of our society sounds like everything we as the human race have already heard before just with a change of lyrics.

Similar to my mobile gaming post (here), I cannot blame the artists for playing a game by the rules. The fact is that people will listen and buy more music from artists that sound similar to others than from those who are not. And history proves this. Despite Daft Punk’s record being the most critically acclaimed albums of the 2013, Justin Timberlake’s album had gotten the most sales that year (1), likely due to its relative simplicity and lack of change rhythmically. It is the artist’s decision to supply this type of “watered-down”music, however it is the consumer that dictates the demand.

So why do I call pop music, “watered-down”? Well, its best to think of opera music when explaining this. In opera, people act to protrude their voices to their maximum potential. When seeing an opera singer perform, you can really tell that their voice is authentic and, in many ways, stunning. In my opinion, music with vocals is best when the singer is clearly trying and putting in a full effort. It is beautiful to see a person sing to their fullest potential in the same way it is to see an athlete clearly use all his strength to get a goal or get in the end-zone. The realization of the fact that a human is able to perform such an act in genres like opera, or even in some cases metal, is truly awing.

In modern day pop music, the editors add funky noises and the singers dilute their voice to be akin to that of what is now modern pop. Some songs and artists benefit from this unnatural dilution, but more, in my mind, do not. And again, some people may like this type of pop music more, but I am questioning the lasting impressions some of these songs have. I am also not for music only being opera. I want to make clear that I love all music that is original. I am merely complaing about modern music and its lack of originality.

The walls surrounding the genre of pop music have also become much more constraining. The consumer has motivated artists to stick to a certain style of music, without any lead-way to experiment. Back in the day, Johnny Cash could be considered “pop” in some circles. It wasn’t his common voice that made him so successful. It was Cash’s rebelliousness with his voice that made him so popular. This type of experimentation is what I wish to see more in modern pop music. Pop is not the same as it was in the past. Nowadays, there is almost a whole other genre based around pop music, a genre which once was known for being varied. I ask all future artists to at least attempt to sing or perform outside the box that modern society has created around the idea of music. Without innovators, music will turn into a mere fad that will become less interesting and stunning.

Thanks for reading. More to come. Planning on posting Mon. Wends. and Fri., although that is not set in stone.

For those unaware, Esports, or competitive video gaming, has become a growing sport in many circles. Although not fully accepted by the public (and with good reason), companies like ESPN and TBS have bought Esports events and have been advertising them like “real” sports. Some people believe that video games on a competitive level should be considered sport, while other believe that a lack of physical activity makes gaming a hobby and nothing more. I agree with the former.

In my opinion, competitive gaming is a sport. First, a sport requires extensive training to become better than others, which is true with gaming. Also, a sport requires a player to be inherently better than other common/casual players. This is true in gaming as well.

I think the main issue with people accepting video gaming as a sport is the fact that there is an inherent disconnect between the human and the avatar which they control. Sports are about seeing the natural ability of humans and what we as a species can be capable of. The fact that in some video games the characters controlled aren’t even human creates a subconscious disconnect in the mind between the player and the character. Human talent is expressed, just in an unconventional way.

I don’t want this to become a rant, so I will digress. If you believe that a lack of physical ability aside from hand-eye coordination completely declassifies an activity as a, “sport” than I respect your opinion. I think the greater discussion is about what precedent Esports can set for the future of sport.

Think of the possibilities. If (and what seems to be becoming a question of when) Esports becomes a legitimate sport in the eyes of society, other hobbies such as singing, eating, etc. will also likely be labeled as sport. The sports realm is experiencing a huge shift, and, to me, it is exciting. Here’s a quick list of a few activities I see getting a sports following in the future:

Singing (Already gaining ground as competitive with shows like The Voice).

Eating (Also gaining ground as competitive sport).

Board Games (Not huge, although something tells me this will be regarded as sport shortly).

Drawing/Painting (i.e. best drawing in certain time limit).

Cooking (Closest to becoming sport in my opinion with shows like Chopped).

Really, the options are limitless. The future of the term, “sport,” is on pace to have a diluted and controversial definition, akin to that of, “art.” Soon, our society may even see the two terms have similar meanings, with the only difference being that sports are competitive in nature, while art is not particularly competitive.

I am fully excited for the transformation of sports as a whole. I want to see what people consider to be a sport and what they consider to be a mere activity. Where is the line drawn, or is there even a line to draw?

Thanks for reading. Plan on posting at least three times a week. Have a wonderful rest of your day!